Episodes

  • Nearly half of Long Islanders support slowing the development of large data centers

    Nearly half of Long Islanders support slowing the development of large data centers
    Jun 30 2026
    Nearly half of Long Islanders support slowing the development of large data centers, according to the results of a Newsday/Siena Research Institute poll, which highlighted growing concerns among New Yorkers.Data centers house the physical infrastructure for data storage, and technology giants say they are vital to the growing use of artificial intelligence.The poll found 47% of Long Islanders back a bill passed by the State Legislature on June 4 that would put a one-year pause on the permitting of large data centers. One in three, about 34%, said they were either in the middle, didn’t know enough or refused to answer the question. About 19% of Long Islanders said they thought a moratorium is bad for New York.Statewide, the results mirrored those on Long Island with 46% of New Yorkers saying a moratorium would be good for the state, 21% saying it would be bad, and 33% saying they were in the middle, didn’t know or refused to answer, according to the poll."Communities that are making this decision are focused on this. You’re weighing jobs, energy uses, the effect on water," Don Levy, executive director of the Siena Research Institute, told Newsday. Underneath those concerns is the question about AI and whether people feel it is going to be beneficial or they are threatened by it, he said.The Newsday poll was done in conjunction with the Siena Research Institute between June 17 and 23 among 412 registered voters on Long Island. The margin of error was 6.1%, meaning answers may vary by that amount. The regional survey was taken as a subsection of a statewide Siena poll that surveyed 1,120 voters and has a margin of error of 3.6%Keshia Clukey reports in NEWSDAY that the poll comes as hundreds of large-scale data centers are popping up around the country and municipalities across the state and Long Island weigh the benefits and potential negative impacts of the centers on their communities. A large-scale data center is being proposed in Yaphank in Suffolk County.Developers have touted the need for data centers, as well as the community investment and jobs they bring, largely through the construction of the facilities.But there are growing concerns over their massive energy consumption and use of water for cooling purposes, which put pressure on infrastructure, increase utility rates and raise questions surrounding environmental impact.If the bill is signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York would be the first state to put a moratorium on the development of more large-scale data centers.Jennifer Fowkes, 58, of East Hampton, told Newsday she is "really grateful" to the legislature for passing a moratorium. "There’s so much fear, misinformation, misunderstanding," said the Democrat who participated in the poll.Fowkes said the issue needs to be studied and expressed particular concern over the impact on water use and quality because Suffolk County sits on a sole source aquifer. "I don't think a year is long enough," she said, but "it’s a great start."The question on data centers particularly "stands out," because one-third of respondents statewide and on Long Island say either they are torn, or they don’t have enough knowledge to have an opinion, Levy said. "Certainly, to whatever extent this is a political issue, they could be wooed."***A federal judge yesterday dismissed the complaint challenging New York’s Even Year Election Law, throwing out the governmental plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice, while allowing the remaining non-governmental plaintiffs an opportunity to file a new complaint.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that in a sharply worded 22-page decision, U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown on Monday ruled that the remaining government plaintiffs could not pursue the federal constitutional claims, concluding they were barred by the prior state-court litigation, lacked standing and had no cause of action under the federal civil rights statute known as Section 1983.Barring further relief in the case, the ruling means Riverhead’s 2026 supervisor election is expected to proceed under the Even Year Election Law, with voters electing a supervisor this November to a two-year term that will align the town’s election cycle with even-numbered years.Judge Brown questioned the propriety of municipal governments participating in the litigation alongside partisan political organizations, calling government spending on the lawsuit "troubling," since there was lack of "evident injury" suffered by the government plaintiffs, citing RiverheadLOCAL’s reporting on more than $1.6 million in taxpayer-funded legal fees.Judge Brown granted the state’s motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint, dismissing the remaining governmental plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice. He also dismissed with prejudice the claims against the State of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Board of Elections.Thus, government plaintiffs - Suffolk County and Huntington Town — have been dismissed from the ...
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    6 mins
  • Your donation to WLIW-FM is doubled right now!

    Your donation to WLIW-FM is doubled right now!
    Jun 26 2026
    All contributions to WLIW-FM are doubled up to $50,000 right now! If you've been on the fence about making a donation, this is your sign to go for it. Call 800-262-0717 or go to wliwfm.org to make a quick, secure donation online. Thank you!***Local, state and federal law enforcement are now banned from covering their faces in New York State while interacting with the public in most encounters under a new law taking effect today.Bahar Ostadan reports in NEWSDAY that the Making Enforcement Law Transparent Act is part of a push from state Democrats to regulate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and promote transparency. But Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — who is the Republican running against Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul for governor and last year signed an executive order allowing law enforcement to wear masks in Nassau — says the move puts officers at risk."Kathy Hochul is putting our cops in danger just to prove a dumb political point," Blakeman wrote in a statement to Newsday, later adding that masks help protect against people exposing law enforcement officers’ identities online.The mask ban is part of bill package signed by Hochul last month. Among the many changes is a new law prohibiting local law enforcement from partnering with ICE through a federal program known as 287(g). ICE has two such agreements with Nassau, one with its police department and another with its sheriff’s department.Blakeman has until Aug. 27 to terminate Nassau's contracts with ICE, or New York State Attorney General Letitia James says she will pursue legal action."We will seek compliance through the courts," James said in a news conference Wednesday. "I doubt that any municipality would be in contempt of the law at this point and I’m confident that they will comply."The new law bans the use of local law enforcement officials or facilities for immigration enforcement, but allows ICE to continue working with local law enforcement on criminal matters. Unlike the mask restrictions, this measure hasn't taken effect yet.That leaves Blakeman with about nine weeks to void Nassau’s partnership with ICE. Nassau County rents 50 East Meadow jail cells to the federal agency to detain immigrants, and deputized 10 Nassau detectives to help transfer defendants into ICE custody.***These future baseball stars are stealing a summer in “The Hamptons.”Alex Mitchell reports in The NY POST that A-lister sightings, a pipeline to the big leagues, hanging with buds on boats are all guarantees in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League which plays its games across America’s most celebrated summer resort community.“My friends are playing in leagues in the middle of nowhere. They’re pretty miserable. But out here it’s awesome,” Seattle-born pitcher Lincoln Oelschlager of the Sag Harbor Whalers told The Post. “It’s probably the best place you’d be for summer ball,” added the pitcher who attends Southern California’s Pomona College.Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League is a Major League Baseball affiliate that provides an east end alternative to Cape Cod’s iconic collegiate summer development league. Like its New England counterpart, the H.C.B.L. has produced a bevy of major leaguers, including Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes, in addition to 600 MLB-drafted players — 112 of whom stepped onto a diamond in the majors…plus New York Mets radio announcer Keith Raad. The LI league is instrumental in identifying talent that may otherwise be overlooked, Riverhead Tomcats manager Kyle McLaughlin said. “The Cape Cod League is the league where all of the high-end Division I players go, but here, you have more of a mix, you have anywhere from D-I to junior college guys,” he said. “This allows the opportunity for a lot of local Long Island players to kind of get into that same realm as the players that are in the Cape.”The Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League...which has been in existence for nearly 2 decades...is home to six teams, each rooted in the character, history, and natural beauty of the East End communities they represent.The Riverhead Tomcats play on the former Grumman site and take their name from the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, a nod to Long Island’s aviation history. The Westhampton Aviators honor the 106th Rescue Wing, with the C-130 transport plane featured as part of the team’s logo. The North Fork Ospreys reflect one of the region’s most recognizable birds, often seen nesting across the North Fork. The Sag Harbor Whalers pay homage to Sag Harbor’s historic role as a whaling port, while the Southampton Breakers draw inspiration from the surf and shoreline of Cooper’s Beach, widely recognized as one of the top beaches in the country. The Shelter Island Bucks take their name from the island’s large deer population, a familiar part of life on Shelter Island.The dream teams are all thanks to league president Sandi Kruel, who finds players housing and jobs, such as giving ...
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    7 mins
  • Less than a week after US Open, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club to host Palm Tree Music Festival

    Less than a week after US Open, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club to host Palm Tree Music Festival
    Jun 25 2026
    Have your donation doubled with a matching grant from our Board of Trustees! When you contribute today, every dollar goes twice as far in helping us continue to bring you the news you can trust. Donate online here or call 800-262-0717.***The search for the source of the “forever chemical” that shut down two Suffolk County Water Authority wells in East Hampton has been broadened to include a 2005 plane crash on Mill Hill Lane that left one dead.Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that four SCWA wells near Buckskill Road and Montauk Highway were recently found to be contaminated with perfluoropropionic acid, or PFPrA, with two of those in amounts exceeding New York State’s 50 parts per billion maximum contaminant level. SCWA has taken those two wells offline, while keeping the other two online at a reduced use.SCWA, starting earlier in June, has been locked in litigation with the operator of a battery energy storage system, or BESS, on Cove Hollow Road, arguing that LG Chem and the East Hampton Energy Storage System failed to prevent runoff from a 2023 fire at the facility — ultimately leading to the water contamination.But East Hampton Town officials, who called for the creation of a task force in the wake of the detection of the contaminated water, have now said that the 2005 Mill Hill Lane plane crash has emerged as another potential source of the “forever chemical.” The firefighting foam used, should it turn it out that this incident caused the contamination, would be the culprit.East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said the sustained pumping may have drawn the contaminated water from the plane crash toward the SCWA wells, which are located around a half-mile from the site of the crash.Burke-Gonzalez spearheaded the creation of a task force, made up of East Hampton Town officials, State Department of Environmental Conservation representatives and Suffolk County Department of Health Services officials, among others.East Hampton Village officials also plan to contract with a private company, under the lead of Village Planner Billy Hajek, to conduct a separate testing operation from the door-to-door testing being done by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen said this will be done to confirm the results.PFPrA, the chemical in question, is an unregulated contaminant that does not appear on the list of 40 PFAS chemicals that the Department of Environmental Conservation screens for and was only identified via SCWA’s specialized, in-house measures.The location of the SCWA wells, alongside that of the BESS facility and the site of the 2005 Mill Hill plane crash, has put East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village officials in an uneasy partnership aimed at mitigating the fallout.Both the BESS facility and the SCWA wells are located in the town, just north of the border with the village, while the site of the plane crash is located in the village. Groundwater flows south from those locations, likely putting the contamination, in part, within the village’s borders.***The immigration crackdown President Donald Trump promised on his first day in office has taken hold on Long Island. As reported on Newsday.com, federal immigration agents have arrested roughly 3,000 Long Islanders, but the campaign’s effects extend far beyond those detained. Across the region, employers are losing workers, businesses are losing customers and families are retreating from public life. Immigrants make up nearly a fifth of Long Island’s population, and as many withdraw from daily routines, or vanish from the communities where they live and work, the region itself is beginning to change.Long Island's share of foreign-born residents has doubled in the past four decades, surpassing the national trend from 1960 through 2024.David Dyssegaard Kallick, director of Immigration Research Initiative, a nonpartisan think-tank spoke with NEWSDAY about increased United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity through the past 17 months. "You can expect ripple effects to the economy and also ripple effects to our sense of who we are…This is raids on communities, raids on workplaces, picking people up in courthouses when they're coming to do what they're supposed to do in registering. ...it's much more disruptive, more indiscriminate, violent."Trump’s second term immigration campaign came at a time when Long Island's immigrant population neared 550,000 and the portion of population that is foreign-born neared levels not seen for a century or more: close to 15% nationwide, 21% through Nassau / Suffolk combined.But since the stepped-up enforcement began, immigration rates have fallen into a "historic decline," according to the Census Bureau, which does not distinguish between unlawful and lawful immigration. In New York State from 2024 to 2025, net migration from immigrants dropped from 290,500 people to 95,600 people. Nationally, the rate of ...
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    7 mins
  • Certain Regents exams face scrutiny for not reflecting curriculum that was taught

    Certain Regents exams face scrutiny for not reflecting curriculum that was taught
    Jun 24 2026
    With the loss of federal funding, WLIW-FM needs your support now more than ever. Consider a donation today to help keep us going. Click here to donate online or call 800-262-0717. ***New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is projected to be the winner of his Democratic primary, fending off two challengers.The Associated Press projected a DiNapoli victory based on results from the state Board of Elections.With nearly three-quarters of the election districts reporting, DiNapoli led with 60% of the vote.Steve Hughes reports in NEWSDAY that the NYS comptroller manages the $295 billion state pension fund and serves as the state’s chief fiscal watchdog.DiNapoli, 72, of Great Neck Plaza and a lifelong resident of Long Island, has been in office since 2007.He will face Republican Joseph Hernandez in November.In the Town of East Hampton, incumbent Democratic Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez defeated East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen. Final results were still trickling in last night, but Larsen conceded to Burke-Gonzalez. As of late Tuesday, Burke-Gonzalez had 2,054 votes to Larsen’s 1,245 — or 62 percent to 38 percent. With no Republican on the November ballot, Burke-Gonzalez victory in yesterday’s primary likely determines that she will continue to lead East Hampton Town next year.Meanwhile, Brendan J. O’Reilly reports on 27east.com that Chris Gallant, a veteran from Amity Harbor, is now the 2026 Democratic nominee in the race to represent New York’s 1st Congressional District, having bested Lukas Ventouras of Northport in that primary election yesterday.Gallant’s insurmountable lead last night stood at 59.9 percent of the vote, 11,565 to 6,780.Gallant, 37, now faces two-term incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Nick LaLota, 47, of Amityville in the general election this November.***This year's Earth and Space Sciences and Biology Regents exams are drawing scrutiny from local school leaders and parents, who say the questions did not reflect the curriculum taught to students and contained errors.Lorena Mongelli reports in NEWSDAY that as a result, officials in several Long Island school districts have said they will not count the scores from the two exams, which were administered last Thursday, if they hurt a student’s final average.“We were not able to review the test until the day of the exam ... We began to see that there were some questions we had particular concerns about," said John Murphy, principal of Walt Whitman High School in the South Huntington district, one of the school districts that has raised concerns about the exams.State Education Department spokesman JP O'Hare in a statement yesterday said classroom instruction, overseen by local schools, was responsible for ensuring the curriculum aligned with state standards.“Through the New York State Education Department’s extensive, industry-standard test development processes, carried out in collaboration with hundreds of NYS teachers, we are confident that the Regents Exams are well-aligned with the state’s learning standards," O'Hare said. He said in the coming weeks the exam will be posted publicly, including scoring materials.This is the second year in a row that the biology and earth science Regents exams have been criticized for asking about material not covered in class.Timothy Eagen, president of Suffolk County School Superintendents Association told NEWSDAY on Tuesday, “This is a complex issue that deserves thoughtful examination from multiple perspectives, with students and their ability to fairly demonstrate their learning remaining at the center of the conversation...For Earth and Space Science, teachers have noted meaningful differences in this year’s exam compared to previously released versions that had been used to guide instruction and student preparation. For Biology, concerns have been raised regarding errors identified within portions of the examination,” he said.While the state Education Department will no longer require students to pass Regents exams to graduate high school, beginning with students who started ninth grade in 2024, they must continue taking the exams until fall 2027 due to state and federal mandates requiring assessments, according to the state. ***NYS Attorney General Letitia James’s office yesterday released the body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a Northampton man by Southampton Town Police officers last month on Mother’s Day.Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the camera footage shows that the officers fired six shots at the man, Steven Eastwood, as he stood over his mother’s prone body in her home, stabbing her repeatedly with a large knife.The footage from the bodycams of all three officers starts as they dash from the driveway toward the home on Topping Drive on the afternoon of May 10. The three officers had been dispatched to the property following a 911 call from Eastwood’s mother, who had said her son was at the house, intoxicated and ...
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    7 mins
  • Today is Primary Day in New York State

    Today is Primary Day in New York State
    Jun 23 2026
    We can't do what we do without you! Consider a donation today, while every dollar is doubled and get a unique thank-you gift. Click here to make a donation online, or call 800-262-0717.***Today is primary day in New York State. The polls opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 9 p.m. throughout Long Island.Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that while party primaries often don't attract big voter turnouts, these races could have potentially significant impacts, including on which party takes the majority in the 435-seat U.S. House, which Republicans now control by a narrow margin.In early voting, 16,480 people cast ballots in Nassau and 6,721 in Suffolk.Here’s a rundown on some of what’s at stake:In the 1st Congressional District which includes the east end:Chris Gallant, 37, of Amity Harbor, a Black Hawk pilot, Army veteran, National Guardsman, former air traffic controller and volunteer firefighter, faces Lukas Ventouras, 25, of Northport, who is attending St. John’s School of Law, and has worked on past political campaigns. The winner takes on incumbent Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) in November. CD1 is entirely in Suffolk County.NYS comptroller Democrat Thomas DiNapoli, 72, faces his first primary challenge since he assumed the office in 2007, running against Raj Goyle, 51, who has worked on a number of philanthropic campaigns in New York City, and Drew Warshaw, 45, the executive director of a nonprofit housing firm.East HamptonEast Hampton Town's Democratic primary pits incumbent Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, 64, against challenger East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen, 61. With no Republican on the November ballot, today's contest is likely to determine who takes office next year.For voter info go to Elections.ny.gov.***The Long Island Builders Institute {LIBI} has formed a coalition focused on construction issues on the East End to help reverse a trend of permit delays for new builds and renovations that have caused industry slowdowns.The group, Long Island Builders Institute’s East End Council, will advocate for more efficient online permitting systems and broader permit reforms across the twin fork's five towns and various villages, LIBI CEO Mike Florio told Newsday.Builders in East Hampton Town have been hit hard by permit delays, with lengthy plan reviews slowing projects and creating uncertainty across the industry. The Town of East Hampton has outsourced reviews to architectural firms and hired more employees to process a lengthy backlog that has left some builders waiting for more than a year for permits.“We’re looking to unify under one voice to address our regional issues with solutions,” said Michael Forst, a third-generation East Hampton builder and president of Forst Construction.Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that members of the construction trade group recently met in Southampton to share frustrations and agreed that LIBI should expand its presence on the East End. The industry group hasn’t maintained a dedicated chapter in the region for more than a decade, builders said.Forst will serve as the group’s co-chair, representing the South Fork, while Fred Seifert, part-owner of Seifert Construction in Mattituck, will serve as a co-chair representing the North Fork.The construction and real estate industry is a key economic driver on the East End, particularly the multimillion-dollar luxury home market. The median home price in the Hamptons jumped to a record high of $2.4 million in the first quarter of the year, Newsday has reported. The median home price on the North Fork was just shy of $1 million, close to the record high of $1.1 million.Among LIBI East End Council priorities is increasing affordable housing and train service for the area’s workforce, as well as lobbying for policies that lower construction costs, Forst and Seifert said.“If we want our future contractors and tradesmen to be able to work here, they obviously have to live here,” Seifert said. “We need to find ways to be able to get affordable housing for them and keep our talent here on the East End.”
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    5 mins
  • Wyndham Clark named winner of US Open and Southampton begins to return to normalcy

    Wyndham Clark named winner of US Open and Southampton begins to return to normalcy
    Jun 22 2026

    We can't keep doing what we do without the support of our community. Become a member today online by clicking here.

    ***

    The 126th U.S. Open Golf Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club has concluded with Wyndham Clark the winner…he led through all four rounds and while the Denver, Colorado native was clearly not yesterday’s crowd favorite, Clark persevered and last night brought home his second National Championship trophy. The U.S. Open has now been played here in Southampton six times. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club…founded in 1891…hosted the second U.S. Open championship in 1896 then again in 1986, 1995, 2004, 2018, and 2026.

    United States Golf Association CEO Mike Whan opened Sunday evening’s closing ceremony by expressing gratitude to the many local and regional governmental agencies who worked together effectively to make this international sporting event a major success…including the State of New York, Suffolk County, the host town of Southampton, the village of Southampton, the Shinnecock Tribal Nation and the Long Island Railroad.

    Whan jokingly apologized to south fork residents "for what we did to you this week" due to tournament congestion…although overall traffic through Southampton was a little lighter than customary for the third week of June.

    Whan also offered a huge thank you to the 3,300 volunteers…most of whom were from Long Island.

    Wyndham Clark, now the 2026 U.S. Open champion, will be awarded $4.5 million, while the USGA’s total prize purse this week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club was $22.5 million.

    ***

    What goes up must come down.

    After the 126th U.S. Open ended last night at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, local attention shifted to what comes next at Shinnecock Hills and the surrounding areas.

    Ben Dickson reports in NEWSDAY that the process of restoring normalcy across Southampton has already begun.

    Long Island native John Ryan Celiberti, the USGA’s assistant director of U.S. Open championships, told Newsday during Sunday’s final round that “we’ll hopefully get Shinnecock back to being Shinnecock probably [in] August.

    “The circus comes in, the circus goes out,” he said. “But the next two months are really a process of getting everything out.”

    Celiberti said yesterday, “We got the Palm Tree Festival over at Shinnecock Nation [this coming Saturday], so that’s my priority Monday making sure all of our supplies are cleared off over the next two days so that they can start preparing for their event” on tribal territory.

    The construction that began in earnest in March — pushed back a bit because of the late-February blizzard, which produced snow drifts almost up to the second floor of the Shinnecock Hills clubhouse and completely shut down Tuckahoe Road — was completed with its final touches on June 14...the day before tournament week began.

    Shinnecock Hills members should be able to get back on the course sometime within the next week. Forklifts and vehicles might be driving around to clean things up, but that shouldn’t interrupt play.

    Celiberti said Tuckahoe Road south of the course “probably” will reopen Monday afternoon and that Tuckahoe Road through the golf course will reopen this coming Friday.

    The USGA and local authorities worked to create a “contraflow lane” on Route 27, which turns into County Road 39, for designated vehicles to get to and from the course. That was important to avoid “The Trade Parade” of vehicles that come out to the Hamptons on a daily basis.

    Additional Long Island Rail Road services also ran to the temporary Shinnecock Hills platform, built across the street from the course — adjacent to Stony Brook’s Southampton campus — and connected via a pedestrian bridge.

    The LIRR during tournament week was the Open’s most-used mode of transportation.

    Yesterday U.S.G.A. officials said almost 60% of fans took the LIRR to the final round of the championship.

    Overall, the U.S.G.A. views the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock as a major success and plans on recap meetings with local authorities to come up with learning lessons in preparation for ten years from now - June of 2036 - when Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will host both the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens in back-to-back weeks.

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    5 mins
  • US Open at Shinnecock Hills requires all hands on deck

    US Open at Shinnecock Hills requires all hands on deck
    Jun 18 2026

    When you make a gift now through June 30th, your donation goes right to work creating and curating a listening experience that is Long Island’s own. Make a donation online quickly and securely right here.

    ***

    Atlantic Golf Club, Noyac Golf Club and Sebonack Golf Club are all less than 10 miles away from Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

    But at this time of year, they might as well be on another planet.

    Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the superintendents who oversee those courses never see each other from late spring to early fall. Their heads remain down, for months on end, from sunrise to sunset, making sure conditions are perfect for the members.

    But every decade or so, an international sporting event brings them together.

    At this year’s 126th U.S. Open Golf Championship…which teed off at 6:30 this morning…Shinnecock Hills superintendent Jon Jennings has a huge team of volunteers helping him and his regular team ensure the golf course is set up and in perfect condition to provide a worthy test for the world’s best players, as the course steps into the global spotlight, hosting the Open for the sixth time.

    The course benefits from its unique position in what is widely regarded as one of the top golf meccas in the world. While Shinnecock is the star, lauded courses like National Golf Links of America, Southampton Golf Club and Sebonack Golf Club are a chip shot away, while other highly regarded courses like Noyac, The Bridge and Atlantic are in close vicinity as well.

    During the week, superintendents from those courses are volunteering their time, expertise and several of their own staff members to the huge undertaking of course preparation and maintenance at Shinnecock Hills for the sport’s national championship, while still ensuring their own clubs, just as busy as ever at this time of year, are running smoothly.

    Jennings tells 27east.com that having so many superintendents from so many highly regarded golf courses willing to contribute and in such close proximity during a major championship is special.

    “The density of good golf courses in this area is rare…And the ability to be able to draw from that talent is also rare…It’s really helping out a lot.”

    Jennings indicates he’s deeply appreciative of our east end golf community’s spirit of teamwork.

    “The importance of local support is really, really key to the success of the championship,” he said…I may be biased, but the best golf in the world is here on Long Island.”

    ***

    Cutchogue Civic Association will hold a panel discussion on the current housing situation, “What Does It Take to Live on the North Fork?” Perspectives on our Housing Crisis,” this evening at 5 p.m. at the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library.

    Attendees will hear about the history of housing in the community, the current real estate data, and the burden the housing shortage causes for essential workers and business owners.

    “There is no easy fix, but there are programs that are underway that might lessen the impact on future lives in Cutchogue,” according to the civic association.

    Panelists include Community Housing Advocate Katy Stokes, The Giving Room owner Paula DiDonato, True North Associates’ Michael Daly, and Beth Young, editor of the East End Beacon.

    That’s “What Does It Take to Live on the North Fork?” later today at 5 p.m. in the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library.

    Also related to the North Fork housing crisis, Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the Town of Southold is considering using a portion of its Community Housing Fund revenue for a new first-time homebuyer down payment assistance loan program that could provide 18 percent of the cost to purchase a home on northeastern Long Island — up to $135,000.

    Southold Town Community Development Project Supervisor Andrea Sullivan gave an overview of the proposal to the Southold Town Board at its work session this week, as she and members of the town’s Planning Department gave an overview of their work addressing community housing as a new top priority in the town’s Zoning Update.

    Ms. Sullivan said she is working with town planners on adding a new chapter to the code, Chapter 112, devoted exclusively to the administration of community housing. She said that chapter will likely be brought to a Town Board code committee in August.

    Councilwoman Alexa Suess said Tuesday, “The idea is looking at these solutions in parallel. These code changes are going to take a little while,” she said. “We’re trying to come at it from multiple angles at once.”
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    5 mins
  • Car crash on County Rd 39 leaves two injured and gridlock through most of Western Southampton

    Car crash on County Rd 39 leaves two injured and gridlock through most of Western Southampton
    Jun 17 2026
    Despite the loss of federal funding, WLIW-FM continues to bring you pertinent local and regional news each and every day. Make a donation or becoming a sustaining member today by clicking here or call 800-262-0717.***A motor vehicle crash on County Road 39 that left two people injured, one very seriously, caused gridlock traffic through most of western Southampton and Southampton Village late yesterday.Michael Wright reports on 27east.comthat traffic along the Montauk Highway and County Road 39 corridor had been flowing well on Tuesday afternoon thanks to police officers posted at traffic lights to allow commuter traffic to bypass the usual red-green cycle, until the crash occurred shortly before 5 p.m.According to Southampton Town officials, the single-vehicle crash occurred just to the west of Shrubland Road. Passersby reported that the vehicle was heavily damaged. One of the two people in the vehicle was trapped inside and had to be cut out by Southampton Fire Department heavy rescue crews with the “Jaws of Life.”The more badly injured person was then taken to Southampton Village where a Suffolk County Police Department medevac helicopter was waiting to fly the person to Stony Brook University Hospital at about 6 p.m. The other victim of the crash was taken to the hospital by an ambulance to be treated for non life-threatening injuries.County Road 39 remained closed more than another hour while the accident scene was cleaned up. As of 7:30 p.m., the road was open again but westbound traffic from Water Mill to Shinnecock Hills crawled until nearly 10 o'clock last night.***Walmart expects to finish enlarging its Riverhead store into a supercenter, with an added grocery store, by next spring, according to plans submitted to the town.Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that the Riverhead store is one of three existing Long Island stores, including those in Islandia and East Meadow, for which Walmart has submitted plans to municipalities since early 2025 to enlarge the locations into supercenters.With the planned Long Island expansion projects, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer is aiming to grab a larger slice of grocery spending across Nassau and Suffolk. Walmart is the largest grocer nationwide by far, but on Long Island, Stop & Shop ranks first.“With the potential to expand our existing Islandia and Riverhead stores into supercenters, we are excited about the opportunity to bring expanded grocery offerings, services, and new career opportunities to the community,” Walmart spokeswoman Mariel Messier told NEWSDAY this week.Walmart Inc. has 14 stores on Long Island, including a Sam’s Club warehouse store in Medford; a Neighborhood Market, which is a grocery store, in Levittown; and three supercenters.For Walmart to move forward with its Riverhead project, the retailer must receive site plan approval from the town’s planning board, along with approvals from the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, Suffolk County Department of Health Services and two town agencies, Greg Bergman, senior planner for the Town of Riverhead, told NEWSDAY.Walmart’s Riverhead store, at 1890 Old Country Rd. in Gateway Plaza, opened in 2014. The store was a relocation of a smaller store that opened in 2001 on Old Country Road.***More than 500,000 eligible Long Islanders will receive $659.2 million in tax relief beginning this summer through New York’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program.Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that 572,000 Long Island homeowners out of the nearly 3 million eligible New Yorkers can expect to receive a STAR credit or STAR exemption on their school tax bill.The Long Island figures are down slightly from last year's, when the state said 582,000 Long Island homeowners received $698.4 million.Meanwhile, with the 126th U.S. Open Golf Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club bringing mass media attention to the south fork and their frequent mention of the enormous wealth that surrounds us you can be sure the Golf Channel and N.B.C. will slip in this next story…if they haven’t already.For Rachel Weiss reports in NEWSDAY that an oceanfront estate in Sagaponack has hit the market for $152.5 million, making it the most expensive public listing on Long Island. The taxes are about $105,000.A sale at this price would beat a record set last year, when an Amagansett property closed for $115 million, the highest amount ever paid for a single parcel in “The Hamptons.” It was also the priciest closing of 2025 by a landslide, with a $66.75 million home sale in East Hampton coming in second.The Sagaponack property features seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, spanning 9,500 square feet of living space. There is an additional 2,000 square feet of covered porches.The home was built in 2017 and completely renovated last year according to listing agent Terry Cohen, of Compass. The estate, on Fairfield Pond Lane, encompasses 4 acres and more than 360 feet of ...
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